Images, such as a printed image or one displayed on a computer, may be understood as a transcribed representation of observation or imagination and, thus, subject to perceptional interpretation, both in creation and viewing.
For example, by way of illustration, when photographing a red rose flower, the physical and image representation may be dependent on many interrelated or independent factors, such as scene lighting, mechanism used, and viewing medium. For example, a rose that is illuminated with a light emitting diode (LED) consisting of only red, blue, and green wavelengths may appear different than if the rose were illuminated with natural broad spectrum blackbody radiation or solar light.
Accordingly, some images may require further processing, especially in such fields as astronomy or history, to ascertain details in images that currently are not visible. For example, some images may not accurately display details due to poor lighting. In other cases, the image viewer would like to identify the scene lighting origin itself. Thus, a need for the ability to process the image to reveal otherwise hidden or obscured details, and to enhance contrast, is needed.
Moreover, image processing may enable a tamper-resistant watermarking of images, to help prevent copyright infringement. Thus, a photographer may be able to mark images allowing for display, but can help to prevent unauthorized changes to copies thereof.
Furthermore, imaging processing may be used as a security feature, such as to encrypt information and/or to allow for the safe and secure transfer of electronic images and to prevent tampering.
A need therefore exists to improve image processing methods and systems.